Chapter 31

For what felt like several chimes, Kaede and Yurika had been navigating up the spiral of torii gates.

Because it had been several chimes.

Having reached yet another of the winding corners of the stairs, Kaede was hunched over, her hands on her knees, as she stopped to catch her breath. Yurika was a couple of steps ahead of the oiran, her own breathing labored.

“We had to have been here before, Yurika-chan!” Kaede said, panting and glancing up at her companion. “You already said it yourself, there were 108 gates with only a few more steps!” She wiped some sweat off of her forehead, as she stood upright. “I lost count about five hundred torii ago!”

Yurika was absentmindedly gazing up at the vermillion monument towering directly overhead as she listened to her friend’s complaints. “I’m impressed you counted them that high…”

“Yurika-chan! I’m being serious!” Kaede yelled, her breath finally steady. The young oiran was definitely not made for this kind of strenuous activity, but she could take solace in the fact that she had been able to keep up with Yurika thus far.

“I know you are, Kaede-chan. That’s what worries me the most.” Yurika walked back down to the same platform Kaede was on before placing her palm flat against the gate. The wood surface felt smooth underneath her touch. Pulling her hand back, she let out a defeated sigh, as if she was disappointed that the torii felt normal.

“There’s something strange going on here.” Yurika had stepped back, to the corner of the platform the two were on, craning her neck to see the top of the gate. “There’s no way we shouldn’t have reached there by now. In fact, that’s not the only weirdness.” She brought eyes back down to meet Kaede’s.

“Haven’t you noticed how quiet it is?”

Kaede closed her eyes and brought a hand up to her ear and heard… nothing. No creaking of the bamboo that filled in the gaps between the torii; no birds crying or insects chirping; no bells from the shrine they were working towards or chimes echoing up from the village; not even the wind.

“You’re right!”
Yurika didn’t seem thrilled to be right. “There’s also more.” She thrust her hand out, her index finger extended. “While there was noise back on the slope, the fact we didn’t see any of the villagers coming up the path is a concern.” She extended her middle finger, counting another oddity. “Not just here, but when we got to the overlook, there was hardly any animal noises. There’s always an abundance of birds on Mt. Ochiru, but I can’t recall hearing or seeing one the entire walk up.”

Yurika extended her ring finger, indicating more. “Did you notice anything different about that soft patch where The Hound confronted us, compared to the other areas we walked around?”

Kaede shook her slowly.

“I’m actually not surprised you didn’t notice that but…” Yurika’s voice trailed off as she brought her hand back, as if she was trying to find the best way to explain it. “...the path was much more damp there. Like that patch had only recently been wet down.”

“You mean that someone poured water over it this morning?”

Yurika nodded. “Exactly. I can’t exactly say for what purpose though. I know the shrines up here clean around their entrances but they would know better than to pour the used water on the slope, with how soft the ground gets here. None of the members of the shrines would do something potentially dangerous.”

“Are you saying someone did that intentionally?”

Yurika shrugged. “I don’t want to say that, but it is the only thing that makes sense. It’s not like the pass is hardly used, so there would be a lot of collateral damage.”

“You don’t think that… The Hound did that… do you?”

Yurika brought her hand to her chin, in deep thought. “I can’t say that he’s the likely suspect but, as of right now, he’s the only one it would benefit. It hindered our progress and he seems to be stalking you. It just doesn’t fit the stories I’ve heard about it.” She turned, looking out from the stone steps to the mountain pass, almost completely obstructed by the bamboo and torii gate.

“Though, nothing about our encounter with him matches those stories…” Yurika muttered to herself.

Kaede tilted her head, not picking up the last bit from Yurika. “But, wait a minute, Yurika-chan!”

“Hm?”

“If he had set that up, why would he have stepped on it himself, to come after me for the bells? Why would he have fought Gakkun there? He would’ve also put himself at a disadvantage!”

Yurika couldn’t find anything to refute Kaede.

“I’m not sure, maybe he thought we wouldn’t fight back? The stories about him would scare a trio of teenagers just out enjoying a walk to the shrine?” She shook her own head at that, the proof refuting that theory was that Kaede had seen him. If they were terrified of the stories, they wouldn’t have left the comfort of the village.

Kaede was staring up at the torii as if she was trying to solve their current predicament as Yurika was mulling over the strange things that had happened since the two of them arrived, when she saw the oiran’s bun. She reached up and felt at the ribbon holding up her own ponytail and snapped her finger.

“Kaede-chan!” She shouted excitedly.

“Yes?” Kaede was shocked by the island girl’s sudden outburst.

“I think I have an idea to test if we’re just going in circles.”